Called "fascinating,"
"powerful," "compelling," "fantastic,"
"great,"
"moving," "stunning," "deep," "enjoyable,"
"insightful," and more, An American Sin is, at its heart, about doing the right
thing, even in war--and how
the failure to do the right thing haunts the protagonist, David
Wong.

The greatest words an author loves to hear: "I couldn't put
it down!"
So said one reader to Frederick Su about his novel An American
Sin.

From the frontispiece of An American Sin:

Because I can hear,
I bow down to Music.
Because I can see,
I bow down to Art.

Because I can feel,
I bow down to Family
and to Peace.

And, especially, do
I bow down to Children---
the torchbearers of Innocence.

An American Sin
was a finalist in the 2009 Eric
Hoffer Awards! It has also won an IPPY and was a finalist
for a Benjamin Franklin Award and a John Gardner Fiction Book
award (more info below).

Order directly from the publisher. $10. Free shipping. No sales
tax for Washington state residents. U.S. addresses only.
Send check to

bytewrite LLC
P.O. Box 2635
Bellingham, WA 98227

Include your return address and what you wish me to say on the
autograph page.
If you wish, you may include your email address,
too, for notification of future publications. Thank you!
_____________________________
"I read a lot of books. An American Sin blew me out
of the water. It's fantastic!
I loved it!" Carmen Palomera, Director, Rainbow Bookfest,
Seattle. "I cried."

"This story about those who fought in the Vietnam War will
raise the consciousness of everyone who reads it and compel many
to take a closer look at the long-term impact of war on individuals
and our global society." Mary Ann Czarnezki, Ph.D., Sociology,
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"I truly enjoyed An American Sin and found myself
wrapped up in the life of the protagonist David Wong." Amitra
Hodge, Associate Professor, Sociology, Buffalo State College.

"May this story [An American Sin] bring us all a broader
understanding
and a greater appreciation for history and our multicultural society."
Former Washington Governor Gary Locke (who
is Chinese American).

My benchmark is Tim O'Brien. I think Su shares his best
qualities:
strong characters, stark situations, and compelling writing.
I was very moved and impressed by his novel. David Markowitz,
Professor of Physics Emeritus, University of Connecticut.

bytewrite&REG; LLC

[bytewrite is a registered servicemark
of Frederick Su/bytewrite LLC;
i.e., it has been successfully registered with the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office.]

"Ah! Writing is the water of life!
Without writing, there is no reading.
Without reading, there is scant imagination.
Without imagination, hope cannot reside in the human spirit."

"Physics seeks to solve the riddle of the Universe.
Literature attempts to solve the riddle of Life."

"The outdoors is my church. The trees, mountains,
and water define my soul and sustain it."

"Fine fiction is eclectic and, like fine food, delights
the palate of the mind."
(I coined the phrase to indicate that some very fine fiction--
not celebrity banality--is coming from small presses.)

"Writing, at times, is an isolated, sometimes joyless, affair.
But, damn, it can sure enrich the human experience."

"I inhale life through the molecules of my soul."

"Work your mind. Work your body."

"Librarians are wardens of a den of thieves---
books that will steal your ignorance away."

"We were born into light.
We* will go out into light."

(*good people)

"Women are born halfway to heaven, men halfway to hell."

"The overarching distinction of the human species over every
other animal species is . . . poetry."

"Life is the strangest thing. And within that strangest
thing,
love is the strangest thing."

All of above by Frederick Su

World War II was over. Standing in the
shadow of that cataclysmic event, my cousins and I failed to
appreciate the sacrifices of our parents' generation. I've since
come to appreciate that generation more . . .

When my cousin Gwenne was interviewing her father for me, Charles
told her that my other uncle, Robert Hiroshi Koreyasu, was a
combat veteran of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team that
had fought so valiantly in Europe. The 442nd suffered 90 percent
casualties and two of those were Hiroshi's buddies.

My God! After all these years, I hadn't
heard one peep from my uncles. They were heroes from within my
own extended family! That generation didn't brag about their
exploits.

Sometimes
I sit and watch
the tiny rivulets of rain
stream down the windows.
Listen to the raindrops
drum their cadence
on the near sidewalk.
Seek the sounds of
soulfully smooth music
and gaze at the people walking by,
mere silhouettes in the
cold shroud of autumn's rain.

On this gray, lazy day
I wonder
how time has slipped away,
like evening rain
into the dark chasm of the night,
across the middle years
of my life.

And I think of you.

Booksellers!

Stunning Color Flyer!

Click on the thumbnail to see the poster as a pdf file.
Then, print the poster to hang in your store, library, or on
your wall! Needs Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded free
from www.adobe.com.

Don't have room to post a flyer? Then print out the shelftalker!
(another pdf file)

"Of all the books we read in the Spring
Semester (2005), I got the impression that yours made a more
visceral and immediate connection for my students." Mark
Pfeiffer, Instructor, The University of Georgia, Comp. Lit. Dept.

An American Sin
Now $10. Free shipping in U.S.

Send check and your address to:

bytewrite LLC
P.O. Box 2635
Bellingham, WA 98227

Indicate what you wish me to say in the autograph. I will pay
sales tax for WA state residents.

An American Sin depicts an Asian American
mans journey through Americaacross time and place,
exploring issues of race, war, and identity.

From the racism he experienced as a youth in Nevada to the sin
he committed in Vietnam, David Wong was driven by a need to fit
in. This resulted in his murdering an old Mama-san and her granddaughter
while on long-range patrol. "We couldn't handle excess baggage,"
he explains to his psychiatrist. "Our fear spawned a darkness
in our hearts." It is an act that haunts him the rest of
his days.

In counterpoint to Wong's character flaw, the novel also follows
the poignant story of Stella Abramson, whose husband Jake--Wong's
buddy--was killed in the Tet Offensive.

Their stories converge at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Testimonials and Reviews:

Wow! Its so powerful! And healing. That awful
war was still an old wound in me. The book gave me a sense of
hope for the future . . . and compassion for the vets I know.
Julie Ward.

A very fine book. Su did not flinch at the gruesome
aspects of combat, and he wrote with such skill that I was not
repelled by the violence. I think those scenes are some of his
best writing. Weaving them into a story about how those
events impact Wong for the rest of his life puts them into perspective.
The racial issues were also well expressedconsidering the
old writing class edict, show dont tell, he
truly showed Dave Wong as an American and as a Chinese person.
As for what that meant in an Asian war situation, he again
showed it, poignantly, painfully. Merilyn Wakefield,
mwynhad, books for friends, books by friends, publisher
of Chance, An Existential Horse Opera, by James Knisely,
finalist, 2003 Washington State Book Awards.

"GREAT BOOK!An American Sin is real and raw.
I wanted to climb into the story and make Wong feel better about
himself! I hope this story is passed from generation to generation."
Jeannine Joy Vance, author of Twins Found in a Box: Adapting
to Adoption.

"This is a story of trauma, growth, and contemplation. It
will give comfort, inspiration, and resolve to all who read it.
The Vietnam experience touched so many lives that it changed
the very heart of America. As a vehicle for describing Wong's
experience on one level, [An American Sin] is a metaphor
for the nation's own recovery on another. This is a fascinating
work that is highly recommended as a thought-provoking contribution
to anyone's philosophy of life." Major Andrew Firth, heartlandreviews.com.

"I'm honestly impressed by the caliber of Su's writing.
The story of a quest for closure of post-traumatic stress disorder
by a Chinese-American Vietnam veteran is absorbing and poignant.
Su's first novel is an excellent read!" JoAnn Roe,
Author of Frank Matsura, Frontier Photographer, and 13
other books.

"Su tells his story with much clarity and attention to detail.
Thanks to him, we have a rare glimpse [through] the eyes
of an Asian American who fought for the U.S. in Vietnam."
HaeLee Kim, www.generationrice.com.

"And though this ground (Vietnam) has been trod often in
fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, the perspective of Sus
main character offers the opportunity for fresh insight. Su
is at his best when writing about the war. There is a raw
honesty in these sections of the book. Wongs quest had
me turning the pages and wondering, Is he tilting at windmills,
or will he slay a real dragon?" Michael Wilt, Nimble Spirit,
The Literary Spirituality Review, www.nimblespirit.com.

[Caveat: This booklet does not contain instructions for
replacing
the overhead camshaft, intermediate shaft, or crankshaft oil
seals.]

Other Writings by Frederick Su

Excerpt from book proposal on Nature as Epiphany: Essays
on the Active Enjoyment of Nature

From the interior of the inland forests, Highway 101 southbound
on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state suddenly bursts
into the gray-white expanse of the Pacific at Ruby Beach. It
is like coming out of a tunnel, or coming out of the womb. The
trees have given way to the cathedral ceiling of sky. Now there
is more light--a flat, gray light that reflects off the clouds,
the gray-green ocean, and the gray sand. The quiet of the forest
has given way to winter's thunderous clap of surf, a surge-and-give
that rolls over sand and driftwood, eating away at the coast
to leave behind sea stacks--hard rock islands of the previous
shoreline.

Such moments are little epiphanies. As a physicist turned
writer, I find that they occur more and more for me in the natural
world, on that edge of experience where the mind is alert with
the possibilities of remembrance. The moments pass quickly enough,
but I've learned to recognize them.